Shielding Public Spaces from Vehicular Terrorism Act

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4627) to amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to authorize expenditures to combat emerging terrorist threats, including vehicular attacks, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include any extraneous materials on the bill under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 4627, the Shielding Public Spaces from Vehicular Terrorism Act. As Secretary Nielsen testified before the Committee on Homeland Security earlier this year, the threats to our Nation from terrorist groups are serious and more dispersed.

As she noted: ``Terrorists are adapting. They are taking an all-of- the-above approach to spreading violence. That includes promoting attacks on soft targets. . . . `'

Rather than solely focusing on recruiting people to join the fight overseas, terrorist organizations, like ISIS, are encouraging extremists to commit terrorist acts in their homeland by any means necessary. In fact, in September 2014, now-deceased ISIS senior leader Abu Mohammed al-Adnani urged those attacks, stating: ``Smash his head with a rock, or slaughter him with a knife, or run him over with your car, or throw him down from a high place, or choke him, or poison him.'' Unfortunately, people are heeding this call.

The Committee on Homeland Security's Terror Threat Snapshot has documented 21 ISIS-linked terror plots against the West using vehicles, 79 using or attempting to build or use explosives, and 56 using a knife or other edged weapon.

We have seen examples of this in the United States as recently as the vehicular attack on a pedestrian pathway in October and the detonated explosive device at a transit station in December, both in my hometown of New York City.

As terror tactics evolve, so must our ability to combat them. That is why I introduced the Shielding Public Spaces from Vehicular Terrorism Act. This bipartisan bill requires the Department of Homeland Security's Science and Technology Directorate to conduct research and development activities to combat emerging terrorist threats, such as vehicular attacks.

The bill also ensures that our Nation's first responders can use vital State Homeland Security Grant Program funding and Urban Areas Security Initiative funding to address the security vulnerabilities of public spaces, such as surface transportation facilities and mass gathering locations.

In this time of increased threats, it is necessary to assess security vulnerabilities, identify and implement the most effective safeguards, and support our first responders to the greatest extent possible in order to protect innocent lives in public spaces.

This bill is supported by the Security Industry Association. Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record their letter of support.

Security Industry Association,

January 31, 2018.

Hon. Dan Donovan,

Chairman, House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Emergency

Preparedness, Response and Communications, Washington,

Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members to join me in supporting the Shielding Public Spaces from Vehicular Terrorism Act, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I have no other speakers, and I, again, reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I want to take a moment to recognize Sarah Jorgenson of my subcommittee staff. This is Sarah's last week with the subcommittee, and I thank her for her work on this bill and for all of her work on the subcommittee to enhance the security and resiliency of our Nation. I wish her the very best in her new role at the Department of the Interior.

Mr. Speaker, I once again urge my colleagues to support H.R. 4627, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 4627, the Shielding Public Spaces from Vehicular Terrorism Act.

Mr. Speaker, the tactics and targets of terrorist organizations are ever changing. Most recently, ISIL-inspired groups have called for jihadists to use vehicles to carry out attacks on so-called soft targets like shopping malls, mass transit centers, and other places where people gather.

ISIL has claimed credit for 21 vehicular terrorist attacks in major cities like Berlin, Nice, London, and Barcelona. These attacks have also hit closer to home, including in October 2017 in New York City, when a terrorist used a rented pickup truck to mow down pedestrians on a popular bike path, killing eight and injuring 13.

In light of the elevated terror environment, H.R. 4627 would direct the Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate to conduct research on emerging and evolving terrorist threats, like vehicular attacks.

The bill would also provide flexibility for homeland security grant funding to be used for securing public spaces through target-hardening activities, including the installation of bollards.

Additionally, I am pleased that the bill includes key language authored by my friend Representative Val Demings, the gentlewoman from Florida, to codify a current Department practice that prohibits the use of grant funding to purchase firearms or for training on the use of firearms.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from New York (Mr. Donovan) for his words of support on this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to support H.R. 4627 to help secure our public spaces from emerging terrorist threats, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Florida (Mrs. Demings).

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.

In closing, I once again thank Chairman Donovan from the great State of New York for his support of this bill and for his comments, and I thank the gentlewoman from Florida (Mrs. Demings) for her work on this important piece of legislation.

I want to reiterate my support for the Shielding Public Spaces from Vehicular Terrorism Act. Passing this bill will reenforce our commitment to combating emerging and evolving terrorist threats and protecting public spaces.

As the co-chair of the Congressional Cybersecurity Caucus, I am well aware of how technology can dramatically alter our conceptions about homeland security. The advent of more connected devices from pacemakers to power grids has only impacted the attack surface, and the internet makes it possible for these devices to be targeted from anywhere on the globe.

With respect to vehicle attacks, imagine a connected car being hacked to run down pedestrians or an autonomous vehicle's sensors being tricked to not see humans at all. These are the emerging challenges that we face, and it is imperative that we continue to do whatever is necessary to strengthen the capabilities that we depend on to keep all of our citizens safe.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this measure, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, the following cost estimate for H.R. 4991, the Supporting Research and Development for First Responders Act; H.R. 4627, the Shielding Public Spaces from Vehicular Terrorism Act; and H.R. 5762, the Joint Task Force to Combat Opioid Trafficking Act of 2018, prepared by the Congressional Budget Office was not made available to the Committee at the time of filing of the legislative report.

U.S. Congress,

Congressional Budget Office

Washington, DC, June 28, 2018.

Hon. Michael McCaul,

Chairman, Committee on Homeland Security,

House of Representatives, Washington, DC.

Dear Mr. Chairman: The Congressional Budget Office has

reviewed the following pieces of legislation that were passed

by the House of Representatives on June 19, 2018:

H.R. 4991, the Supporting Research and Development for

First Responders Act;

H.R. 4627, the Shielding Public Spaces from Vehicular

Terrorism Act; and

H.R. 5762, the Joint Task Force to Combat Opioid

Trafficking Act of 2018.

H.R. 4991 would codify programs that currently exist at the

Department of Homeland Security (DHS). H.R. 4627 would

confirm the authority of DHS to establish a task force to

disrupt drug trafficking, and H.R. 5762 would clarify the

scope of the department's research and development program.

CBO estimates that enacting these pieces of legislation

would not significantly affect DHS spending. Because the

legislation would not affect direct spending or revenues,

pay-as-you-go procedures do not apply.

CBO estimates that enacting the acts would not increase net

direct spending or on-budget deficits in any of the four

consecutive 10-year periods beginning in 2029.

None of the acts contain intergovernmental or private-

sector mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform

Act.

If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be

pleased to provide

them. The CBO staff contact is Mark Grabowicz.

Sincerely,

Keith Hall, Director.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Rhode Island (Mr. Langevin) for the time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 4627.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague, Mr. Donovan, for this important legislation, which contains a critical provision to ensure that our antiterrorism funds go to their intended purpose.

Three months ago, we heard rumors of plans to use precious homeland security funding to distribute guns to teachers. I introduced language to block this idea, and I am glad to say that this language has, indeed, been included in H.R. 4627.

As a former law enforcement commander, I was assigned to Orlando International Airport during the 9/11 attacks. I have seen firsthand the vital

need for our antiterrorism funding to be used wisely, carefully, and precisely to prevent terrorist attacks before they occur.

It is essential that our students go to school safely. Arming teachers would be both impractical and immoral. Requiring teachers to stop mass shooters not only shifts our responsibilities as lawmakers to them, but it also shifts the hurt, the pain, the guilt, and, potentially, the liability when they find themselves outskilled and outgunned by a shooter with a weapon of war.

We already, as you all know, ask our overworked and underpaid teachers to do too much. We must find ways to continue to allow them to teach. Let's support them in helping all of our children reach their full potential and continue to work with our law enforcement departments to reduce gun violence.

Our limited homeland security funding should be used to prevent terrorist attacks in our local communities. Therefore, I join my colleagues here on the floor, and I urge all of my colleagues to support H.R. 4627.